


chase all the ghosts from your head

by SiderumInCaelo



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Boggarts, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Credence Barebone Gets a Hug, Fluff and Angst, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 17:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12587288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiderumInCaelo/pseuds/SiderumInCaelo
Summary: For the following prompt:For a “trick”, a thoughtless wizard sets a boggart loose at the MACUSA Halloween Masquerade. It’s almost impossible to catch as it changes its shape amid the nightmarish costumes thronging the halls. Though the task of hunting it down falls to Graves, Credence is not just going to let him run off alone. But both men have an awful lot of fears in their past, and if there’s one thing that lays such secrets bare, it’s a boggart…





	chase all the ghosts from your head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluebeholder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebeholder/gifts).



> Title is taken from the song "Power of Two" by the Indigo Girls.
> 
> I hope this did your prompt justice, wanderingnork! I certainly had fun writing it.

When he first hears about it, the MACUSA Halloween ball does not sound like Credence’s idea of a good time. After all, the last time he had encountered a large number of Aurors – well, he supposed it had all worked out all right in the end, but they _had_ tried to kill him.

But Percival (and Tina, and Queenie) reassured him that no one at MACUSA will hurt him now, and while Percival is careful not to push, Credence can tell he wants him to come.

And Credence finds that he wants to go, or at least he wants to want to go. He’s no longer under the thumb of Mary Lou, and while his new freedom is dizzying, more often than not, he wants to take advantage of it.

Because it’s a Halloween ball, Credence needs a costume. Well, perhaps _need_ is too strong – Percival loudly insists that he’ll be wearing his usual work outfit, not anything ridiculous, thank you very much – but everyone else will have one, and Credence doesn’t want to stick out.

Tina and Newt are going together, and both have a costume. Newt has rigged together a truly impressive spider outfit, with additional legs attached to his shirt that have been enchanted to move, and pincers attached to his mouth. He’s even added extra eyes, because he says it should be anatomically correct, or as close to anatomically correct as he can manage. Tina’s costume is admittedly less eye-catching – it looks like she’s just wearing an old-fashioned outfit, but she insists she’s dressed as Charity Wilkinson, one of the “original twelve” Aurors of America and MACUSA’s first female president.

Queenie’s not going, since Jacob can’t come for obvious reasons, but she helps Credence with his costume. He’s going as a witch, or the No-Maj impression of one. He has a tall pointed hat, patterned with thin, silvery spider webs, and wears a shirt that is slightly cinched at the waist and falls to his thighs, almost long enough to be dress, and a plain pair of pants. The shirt is sleeveless, but he has a knee-length cape to wear overtop. His whole outfit is black, except for the lining of the cape, which is a deep purple. Queenie even applies a bit of makeup, darkening his eyelids and lengthening his lashes.

He’s prepared to feel quite silly when he looks in the mirror, but he doesn’t. He looks pretty, and though it’s strange to apply that word to himself he likes it. And he likes it even more when Percival does a double take at his appearance, obviously eyeing up his costume in appreciation. Whatever he’s thinking causes Queenie to wink at him before they Floo over to the ball.

* * *

The ball is, quite frankly, overwhelming. The hall is lavishly decorated, with huge jack-o’-lanterns placed throughout the room, flickering candles floating overhead, and bats fluttering around high in the rafters. Everyone is in costume, and most of those costumes are obviously magical. Percival quickly leaves Credence’s side to make requisite small talk with various important people, but Credence is happy to skirt around the edges of the room, observing the spectacle and occasionally nibbling on the provided food. Some of the costumes really are quite amazing, but Credence is glad he stuck to something simple and fairly inconspicuous.

Eventually Percival returns. “Would you like to dance?” he asks.

It’s probably stupid to be surprised – they did come as a couple, after all – but Credence is anyway.

“I don’t really know how to,” he admits.

“It’s not terribly complicated, I promise,” Percival assures him. “Just follow what I do.”

Credence is hardly going to say no, so he takes Percival’s outstretched hand and follows him towards the middle of the room, where other couples are dancing.

Percival puts his other hand on Credence’s waist and begins to lead. As promised, it’s not a particularly complicated routine, and after a few minutes Credence feels fairly sure he won’t tread on Percival’s feet if he looks up.

Their proximity makes Credence feel inexplicably shy, so he looks around the room as an excuse to avoid Percival’s face for a few more moments. He spots Tina and Newt dancing, somehow managing to navigate around the extra legs of Newt’s costume. Tina notices him looking, and responds with a wave and an encouraging smile.

“Where did you learn how to dance?” he asks Percival, as an attempt at conversation.

“I learned the basics at school, and the rest at various formal functions I attended when I was younger,” he replied. “But I’m a bit rusty now – I don’t dance much.”

“You don’t like dancing?”

“Not enough to do it more than once a year, if that. But maybe I’ve just never found the right person to dance with, until now.” He looks right at Credence and his gaze at such close quarters is intoxicating – Credence feels just like he did after his first glass of wine, warm and slightly lightheaded and rather unsure of himself. Percival leans towards him, and Credence feels his heart rate speed up in anticipation –

The moment is suddenly interrupted by a commotion at the other end of the room. Several people burst through the doors leading to the rest of the building, looking quite alarmed. All are breathing heavily as if they’d been running, and one is leaning against the others and so pale he looks as if he might faint.

“Monster! There’s a monster out there!” one of them gasps. “Like a giant scorpion, but with _fangs_ –”

“No, it was a basilisk!” another one interjects. “Not a scorpion.”

“What? It was definitely a banshee. All that _screaming_ –” adds another, shuddering, and the conversation devolves into an argument about who saw what.

“It sounds like a boggart,” Percival says to Credence. “I need to go take care of it.”

He’s off without another word, heading towards the door the frightened group entered through. Credence follows after him, but only catches up in the hallway outside the ballroom.

“Boggart? What’s a boggart?” Credence asks, while trying to keep pace with Percival’s quick strides.

“An amortal creature, capable of shapeshifting. It turns into whatever you fear most.” Percival stops walking suddenly, and Credence almost crashes into his shoulder. “You should go back to the main hall, find Tina and Newt.”

“I’m not letting you go after some creature on your own,” Credence insists, and his stubbornness must show on his face because Percival acquiesces.

“Fine. But stay close to me, all right? It’s more dangerous to face a boggart alone.”

They start walking again, and after a few minutes Credence thinks to ask, “How do you fight a boggart, anyway?”

“There’s a spell. The incantation is simple enough – just point your wand and say _riddikulus_ – but you have to be focusing on a way to make what you’re scared of silly instead of frightening.”

That is less reassuring than Percival probably means it to be. Credence fingers the wand in his pocket, and thinks of how few spells he’s learned to cast with it. And as for the second part of Percival’s instructions – how is he supposed to make his worst fear _silly_?

For that matter, what _is_ his worst fear? There’s no shortage of things he’s scared of, but Credence has never bothered to try to rank them.

“Do people always know what a boggart will turn into before they see it?” he asks Percival.

“No. And even when people think they know what form their boggart will take, sometimes they’re wrong. That’s why it’s usually easier to face a boggart after you’ve done it before – it loses some of its advantage of surprise.” He looks at Credence. “So stay behind me if we find it.”

“You’ve seen a boggart before?”

“Yes.”

Which of course begs the obvious question, but it’s also a personal one, so Credence chews on his lip and doesn’t say anything. But when he looks up at Percival, the man looks faintly amused. “You can ask, I know you want to,” he says.

Credence feels himself blush, but he can’t stop himself from smiling. This thing that he has with Percival – this _relationship_ – is wonderful, but still so new. Every time Percival invites him closer feels a bit like a miracle.

But they’ve got a monster to find, so Credence pushes away those thoughts and asks the damn question. “What’s your boggart?”

“The corpses of the Aurors I’m in charge of,” he answers, and Credence is spared having to come up with a response when a scream rings through the corridor. He and Percival sprint towards it, and it’s only after a few seconds have passed that Credence realizes Percival has taken his hand.

* * *

After a few moments of running they turn a corner and nearly collide with a young woman running in the opposite direction. Her mask is askew and her breaths are quick and shallow, more than they should be just from running.

She grabs onto Percival as her knees buckle, and he lowers her gently to the floor and crouches down next to her. “It’s all right, you’re safe with us,” he says. “Just focus on your breathing.”

Gradually her breathing evens out and she wipes the tear tracks off her cheeks, knocking her mask back as she does so.

“What scared you?” Percival asks her.

“I don’t – it can’t be him, it _can’t_ , he’s _dead_ ,” she says, and it sounds like she might be about to start hyperventilating again.

“It’s all right,” Percival repeats. “I think it was a boggart, not whoever you saw. Credence and I,” he gestures over to Credence, “are going to take care of it. The main hall isn’t far, just follow this corridor, and there’re people there. Are you good to walk back on your own?”

She nods, and pushes herself to her feet. “Thank you,” she says, and starts to head in the direction Credence and Percival came from, but stops and turns back after a few steps. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Percival replies.

“I’ll make sure he is,” Credence adds, and this gets a small smile out of her before she turns around and continues walking.

Credence and Percival head off in the other direction, jogging this time rather than sprinting. Credence gets more and more nervous as they go deeper into the building. He can feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, but however much he looks around he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

He’s starting to wonder – or hope – that the boggart has disappeared and gone somewhere else when Percival comes to a sudden halt. Credence is about to ask why when he sees what Percival is staring at.

It’s Percival.

Or at least it looks exactly like him. Except something in his expression is _predatory_ , and Credence realizes with a sick feeling that he’s only seen that look on one person, and it wasn’t Percival.

Not the real one.

“You’re not him. You’re just a boggart, you _can’t_ be him, he’s locked up,” Percival says, but his voice ticks up at the end, like he’s not sure if he’s right.

Not-Percival laughs, and steps towards them. “And how do you know I didn’t escape?” He moves his hand like he’s reaching for his wand, and Credence, without thinking, pushes Percival behind him.

Not-Percival doesn’t change into something else like Credence had been hoping, because at least then they would have known it was a boggart. He redirects his attention towards Credence, and keeps smiling.

“Oh, Credence. I knew you wanted me, but I didn’t realize you’d take up with a man you barely knew just because of his face.” His voice is mocking but perfectly calm, like he doesn’t actually care what Credence does.

Not-Percival begins to walk slowly towards him, and Credence can’t remember how to make his legs work.

“Or is it because he’s the only one who’d have you, hmm? You always were so desperate for affection. Was Percival just too guilt-ridden to say no to you?” There’s a frantic litany in Credence’s head of _it’s not true it’s not true it’s not true_ but he can’t seem to make the words come out of his mouth. He can’t seem to do anything except stand there.

Not-Percival is within a stride’s length of Credence now, and when he speaks again it’s quieter but somehow more vicious than before. “He’ll never love you, Credence,” he says, and raises his hands like he’s going to put them on Credence’s neck. “No one ever will –”

And Credence punches him in the face.

It is, objectively, maybe not the best decision. His hand _hurts_ , and he doesn’t seem to have done any damage to Not-Percival. But he hears a startled laugh come from behind him and before he can really figure out what’s going on Percival gets his wand out and casts _riddikulus_.

The boggart’s torn into black fragments that dissipate as they float away, and it’s just Credence and Percival – the real one – left. Credence’s adrenaline starts to ebb and he realizes that Percival’s just heard all of his darkest fears and deepest insecurities, all the things he’s tried to hide. But before Credence can get overwhelmed by embarrassment Percival is striding over to him, and wraps him in an embrace so tight it would almost be painful, if Credence didn’t need it so much.

“I love you. I do, so much, I wanted to say it before but I didn’t want to assume this was more serious than it was, or make you uncomfortable by moving too fast,” Percival says, too quick and sounding desperate, and Credence realizes that maybe he’s not the only person in this relationship who feels like he doesn’t know what they’re doing.

He thinks he’s probably started crying, just a bit, but it’s hard to be sure with his face pressed against the crook of Percival’s neck. He moves his head enough to he can talk, and rubs his hands up and down Percival’s back. “I love you too.  I’m serious about this. And,” he adds, remembering something else the boggart had said, “it’s not because of your face, or because I wanted him.”

“I know,” Percival replies, and Credence feels more than hears Percival let out a long exhale. They stay as they are, just holding each other, for some long moments. Credence only pulls away when Percival says, “Come on, we should head back before Tina sends out search parties."

* * *

“Sorry I wasn’t more help with the boggart,” Credence says as they walk back to the main hall.

Percival stops abruptly and turns to look at him. “Wasn’t more help – Credence, you’re the reason I managed to cast _riddikulus_ at all.”

Credence’s confusion must show on his face, because Percival continues. “I panicked back there. I thought it was really him, I thought I was going to be locked up and held captive again. I would have never been able to make the situation amusing enough to cast _riddikulus_ on my own. 

“But you punching an internationally wanted criminal – it startled a laugh out of me, and that was all I needed to cast the spell.”

It probably was a funny image, now that Credence thinks about it. “Next time I need to make you laugh I’m doing something else, though. My hand still hurts.”

He means it more as a joke than a real complaint, but Percival takes his hand and runs a diagnostic spell. “Nothing’s broken, and the swelling should go down in a day or two. But in the meantime –” He murmurs another incantation and instantly the pain becomes muted.

“Thanks.”

“Come on, back to the main hall and no more stopping. I wasn’t kidding about Tina sending search parties.” 

* * *

When they get back Tina runs over to them and it’s clear she was anxiously awaiting their return, but she calms down once she sees they’re both in one piece. Some of the other guests still look a little spooked, but once they explain that the boggart has been taken care of the party starts back up again.

“I believe we still have a dance to finish,” Percival says, extending his hand, and Credence can’t help but smile.

They walk to the dance floor and resume the same steps as before. They dance quietly for a while, content in each other’s company, until Percival asks, “So, do you think dancing’s your thing?”

“Only with the right partner,” Credence replies, grinning.

This time when Percival leans in, nothing interrupts their kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Credence's costume is (very) loosely based on #2 here: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8b/98/7e/8b987e9c52839202b3cfe4ae3acb6af1--flapper-halloween-costumes-halloween-vintage.jpg
> 
> Newt's costume is based on a spider costume I actually have! The extra legs are foam stuffed into tights that were then sewn onto a shirt, with fishing line attaching them to my wrists. You can see a picture of me wearing it here: http://siderumincaelo.tumblr.com/post/34721003164/anyone-like-my-costume


End file.
